Jennifer King performs at the Open Waters Festival on January 6, 2019

Pianist Jennifer King will perform at the Open Waters Festival on January 6, 2019.

Jennifer King, piano, and Gillian Smith, violin, will perform at the Open Waters Festival on January 6, 2019.

A skilled performer, respected adjudicator, coach, and clinician, Jennifer holds a Masters of Music degree in solo piano performance from McGill University, postgraduate diplomas from the University of Reading in the UK as well as the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. 

In addition to her Talent Trust music scholarships, Jennifer received an Award of Appreciation from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia for her contributions to musical life in the province. 

She’s a member of the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association (NSRMTA) and a private piano instructor and faculty member of the Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Halifax.

Jennifer launched her album O Mistress Moon in January 2018.

Hosted by Upstream Music Association, the duo will perform works for solo violin and solo piano as well as violin and piano duos by contemporary Canadian composers, including Derek Charke, Talent Trust music scholarship recipient Emily Doolittle, and Kati Agocs.

Concert details:
Sunday, January 6, 2019 - 1:00 p.m.
MacAloney Room, Dal Arts Centre
Dalhousie University, Halifax

Tickets: tickethalifax.com.

Former NSTT scholarship recipient Ifan Williams in concert January 19, 2019

Cellist and NSTT music scholarship
recipient Ifan Williams.

Cellist Ifan Williams and violinist Bonnie Romkey will perform DUOS Violin and Violoncello on January 19, 2019 at the Pond Playhouse in Halifax. 

DUOS is a one-night only concert presented by Theatre Arts Guild.

Ifan Williams is a former Talent Trust music scholarship recipient. 

He has performed with the New Philharmonia of London, London Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Chamber Ensemble, and the Classical Quartet of Montreal. 

He’s been Artist In Residence at the University of New Brunswick, Professor of Cello at Mount Allison University, and is the current Chair of Musique Royale and Opera Nova Scotia.

DUOS is a semi-formal affair to ring in the new year. As Theatre Arts Guild says, who doesn’t love to dress up!

There are only 90 seats available, so don’t wait to buy your tickets, which make a lovely stocking stuffer for classical music fans.

For more information, visit the Theatre Arts Guild website.

Concert Program:
Passacaglia — Handel-Halvorsen
K.424 in B flat Major — W.A. Mozart
Etude (from Gliere Collection) — Reinhold Gliere 
Intermission
Sonata Op. 7 — Zoltan Kodaly

Details:
DUOS Violin and Violoncello 
Saturday January 19, 2019 - 8:00 p.m.
  
The Pond Playhouse
6 Parkill Road Halifax

General Seating - 90 seat capacity
Cash bar and light refreshments

Ticket prices: 
$15 for members 
$25 for non-members (which includes a membership to Theatre Arts Guild. Forms available at the door)

To buy tickets:
Ticket Atlantic outlets

Atlantic Superstores

TicketAtlantic online 
Or call (902) 451-1221

Mimisu Lee and Lala Lee in performance January 6, 2019 - presented by Cecilia Concerts

Mimisu Lee and Lala Lee are in concert on January 6, 2019 at the Lilian Piercey Concert Hall in Halifax. 

Tickets are now on sale for the performance, which begins at 2:00 p.m. The event is presented by Cecilia Concerts.

Mimisu received a music scholarship from the Talent Trust to study French horn, and recently received the Raymond Simpson Award at NSTT’s 2018 Special Awards ceremony on December 11.

She also won the 2017/18 Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Mimisu has performed with Scotia Festival Orchestra, Dalhousie University Chamber Orchestra, Dalhousie University Symphony, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and the San Diego International Youth Orchestra.

Lala received a music scholarship from the Talent Trust to study piano. She’s a two-time winner of the Titje Zonneveld Award, which recognizes excellence in piano.

In 2017 she was named one of CBC’s “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30”. She debuted with Symphony Nova Scotia that same year. 

Lala has also performed with the Chebucto Symphony Orchestra and Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.

Mimisu and Lala have been playing in front of audiences since the age of ten. The sisters both study at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.

Their January 6 concert features works works from the classical-romantic repertoire including by Beethoven, Schumann and Strauss.

For tickets and more information, visit the Cecilia Concerts website.

Port Cities wraps up 2018 with a show at Casino Nova Scotia December 28

 Port Cities: Dylan Guthro, Breagh MacKinnon, Carleton Stone

Breagh MacKinnon and her Port Cities bandmates Dylan Guthro and Carleton Stone return to Halifax to perform at Casino Nova Scotia on December 28.  

Breagh is a Talent Trust scholarship recipient who received the Talent Trust Chico Berardi Special Award for Excellence in 2013. 

She was a nominee for the Nova Scotia Music Best New Artist award as well as an East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Rising Star award that same year.

We’re very pleased to have Breagh on the Talent Trust Board of Directors.

In 2016 Port Cities won Artist in Residence at Casino Nova Scotia. The following year they released their multi-award winning debut record, “Port Cities”.

They received five Nova Scotia Music Awards, a SOCAN #1 Award (for their song “Back to the Bottom”), and hit #1 on CBC and Spotify music charts. The band is also multiple ECMA award nominees.

They recently performed in two sold out shows with Symphony Nova Scotia and released their latest single “Montreal”.

A new Port Cities album is due out in 2019.

Show details
December 28, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Casino Nova Scotia

Tickets: $40 from the Casino Nova Scotia website.

Karen Myatt in holiday cabaret All I Really Want December 20 in Halifax

Karen Myatt. Photo by Michèle
Parent of Chèle Foto Couture.

Karen Myatt and Stuart Hiseler are featured the Wild Abandon Productions annual holiday cabaret All I Really Want on Thursday, December 20, at Sniggly Wiggily’s in Halifax. 

Karen received voice scholarships from the Talent Trust to assist with her studies. She attended the Randolph Academy in Toronto, and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Earlier this year she made her debut with Symphony Nova Scotia in the summer show Thorgy and the Thorchestra! and was the featured performer during Atlantic Fashion Week.

Karen and Stuart are joined onstage by musicians Scott Taylor (piano), Kyle Tully (bass), and Serkan Süer (drums.)

“This has become an annual Yuletide tradition for Stuart and I,” says Karen. “The show is a sweet and saucy mix of music and comedy, and it can certainly be a little risqué — and even downright raunchy — at times. It might be best to leave the kiddies at home that night.”

The show usually sells out, so get your tickets now from karenmyatt.net.

All I Really Want — A Holiday Cabaret!
Thursday, December 20, 2018, 8:00 p.m.
Sniggly Wiggily’s
1665 Argyle St. Halifax

If you can't catch the show, here's a glimpse of Karen in performance.

Meet the 2018 Nova Scotia Talent Trust Special Award Winners

Today we were able to grant 13 special awards at our annual Special Awards Ceremony.

We recognized our 2018 scholarship and Special Award recipients at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at the Halifax Central Library in a ceremony attended by His Honour The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.

Created to support the career of contralto Portia White 74 years ago, the Talent Trust has continued to support talented Nova Scotian artists as they pursue their studies toward establishing professional careers in the arts.

Celebrate with them!

Theatre artist Rebecca Wolfe.

Halifax theatre performer Rebecca Wolfe received the $1,500 Talent Trust Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Artistic Achievement, the NSTT’s highest honour for a student in any discipline. Wolfe studies acting in the Humber College Theatre Performance Program in Toronto, Ontario.


Presented for the first time in 2013, the two 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Awards, valued at $10,000 each, will be awarded to any recipient, regardless of age, from any artistic discipline, who best exemplifies the qualities embraced by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, that of the utmost commitment, promise, exceptional technique, talent and the highest achievement of excellence, someone who demonstrates the passion and drive to become a professional Nova Scotia artist in their field of discipline.

These two awards will be granted every December until 2022 and are the legacy of the 2011 Canada Games Young Artists of Excellence Program.

In 2018, the two $10,000 awards were received by Head of Saint Margaret's Bay dancer Claire Campbell and visual artist Curtis Botham from Stellarton.

Dancer Claire Campbell

Claire Campbell (Head of Saint Margaret's Bay), 2018 recipient of a 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, is currently studying ballet and contemporary dance at L'École Superieure de Ballet du Québec in Montréal, Québec.

Visual artist Curtis Botham.

Visual artist Curtis Botham (Stellarton), 2018 recipient of a 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award, recently completed the NSCAD University Residency Program in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.





There are 10 more Special Award recipients, each of whom demonstrates exceptional potential to become professional artists. We're pleased to introduce them here.

Painter Letitia Fraser.

Painter Letitia Fraser (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award for visual arts. Fraser studies painting at NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Award supported by RBC Emerging Artist Program.)

Clarinetist Lucas March.

Clarinetist Lucas March (New Glasgow) is the recipient of the $1000 Yue Lih “Lee” and Marion Kuo Award for exceptional commitment and potential in music as an instrumentalist. March is currently in private study with Halifax music teacher Eileen Walsh. (Award supported by Marion Kuo and Earl Wadden.)

Visual artist Brianna West.

Visual artist Brianna West (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award. West currently studies fashion and textiles at NSCAD University in Halifax. (Award supported by Charlotte Wilson-Hammond and Visual Arts Nova Scotia.)

Opera singer Breanna Miller.

Opera singer Breanna Miller (Hubley) is the recipient of the $1,000 Talent Trust Portia White Award for voice. Miller studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. (Award supported by the Music-in-Medicine and Humanities-HEALS Program, Dalhousie University.)

Contemporary dancer Lucie Schmidt.

Contemporary dancer Lucie Schmidt (Dartmouth) is the recipient of the $2,000 Robert George Jackson Award for dance. Schmidt studies at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (Award supported by the Jackson family.)

Theatre artist Angus Stevens.

Angus Stevens (Port Medway) is the recipient of the $500 Theatre Nova Scotia Award for theatre. Stevens is studying theatre performance at Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario. (Award supported by Theatre Nova Scotia.)

Pianist Cindy Thong.

Pianist Cindy Thong (Head of Jeddore) is the recipient of the $1,000 Tietje Zonneveld Award and is studying at La Haute École de Musique de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland. (Award supported by Tietje Zonneveld.)

Composer Jessica MacIsaac.

Composer Jessica MacIsaac (Halifax) is the recipient of the $750 Kenneth Elloway Award for composition. She is studying at Dalhousie University. (Award supported by the Elloway family.)

Dancer Carrigan MacDonald.

Ballet and contemporary dancer Carrigan MacDonald (Hammonds Plains) is the recipient of the $1000 Janice Merritt Flemming Award and is currently studying at L'École Superieure de Ballet du Québec in Montréal, QC. (Award supported by the Flemming family.)

French horn player Mimisu Lee.

French horn player Mimisu Lee (Halifax) is the recipient of the $1,000 Raymond Simpson Award for music. Mimisu is studying at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Ontario. (Award supported by the Simpson family.)




In addition to the Special Awards announced today, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust gave out scholarships to 65 recipients earlier this year. You can find a list of the 2018 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients below.

The NSTT’s scholarship application deadline date for Spring/Summer study is March 1, 2019. The deadline for Fall/Winter study is May 1, 2019.


Congratulations to the Talent Trust and Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Recipients

Dance — Ballet

• Julia Barkhouse, Dartmouth 
• Olivia MacLean, Dartmouth
• Katherine McDonald, Halifax
• Mollie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth
• Maggie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth
• Aidan Vaudreuil, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship

Dance — Ballet/Contemporary

• Chloe Bruce, Dartmouth
• Claire Campbell, Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
• Carrigan MacDonald, Hammonds Plains
• Stan Tonin, Windsor Junction

Dance — Modern/Contemporary

• Gabrielle Kachan, Halifax
• Lucie Schmidt, Lakeview
• Denver Scott, Halifax

Dance — Choreography

• Aliah Schwartz, Canning

Music — Keyboard (Piano)

• Devin Huang, Bedford
• Lala Lee, Halifax
• Chantal Peng, Wolfville
• Dakota Scott-Digout, Barrington
• Andrew Son, Halifax
• Cindy Thong, Halifax
• Alex (Zixuan) Yang, Bedford

Music — Strings (Cello)

• India Yeshe Gailey, Wolfville

Music — Strings (Violin)

• Leo Hanada, Halifax
• Rose Hanada, Halifax
• Wyatt Johnson, Halifax
• Lilith Richter-Stephenson, Dartmouth

Music — Strings (Bass Guitar)

• Mark Carroll, Valley
• Aidan Zann-Roland, Truro

Music — Voice (Opera)

• Meagan Adams, Halifax
• Ruusu-Maaria Brousseau, Halifax
• Hannah Ernst, Lunenburg
• Laura Johnston, Prospect Bay
• Emma MacEachern, Truro
• Breanna Miller, Hubley
• Natalie Mitchell, New Glasgow
• Morgan Reid, Sydney
• Abigail Sinclair, Halifax
• Shanice Skinner, New Glasgow

Music — Composition

• Ben Coleman, New Glasgow
• Gavin Fraser, Antigonish
• Jessica MacIsaac, Halifax
• Taylor MacGillivray, Halifax

Music — Brass (French Horn)

• Mimisu Lee, Halifax

Music — Brass (Euphonium)

• Ross Macintosh, Truro

Music — Woodwind (Clarinet)

• Lucas March, New Glasgow

Theatre — Acting

• Angus Stevens, Port Medway
• Rebecca Wolfe, Dartmouth

Theatre — Music Theatre

• Katie Cochrane, Bridgewater
• Brent Raddall, Summerville Centre

Visual/Fine Arts —Interdisciplinary

• Emma Allain, Halifax
• Helah Cooper, Lunenburg
• Arjun Lal, Halifax

Visual/Fine Arts — Design/Applied Craft

• Jodie Fox, Mosquodoboit Harbour
• Isaac Fresia, Halifax
• Andrew Gilmour, Halifax
• Jenna Lee, Bedford
• Ahmed Naji, Halifax

Visual/Fine Arts — Painting/Drawing

• NAT chantel, Dartmouth
• Curtis Botham, Bedford
• Caitlin McGuire, Halifax, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
• Letitia Fraser, Halifax, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
• Madeleine West, Halifax

Visual/Fine Arts — Textiles/Fashion

• Brianna West, Halifax
• Jessie McLaughlin, Bedford

Visual/Fine Arts — Typeface Design

• Lee Yuen-Rapati, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship

Reeny Smith presents Reeny’s Family Christmas - December 16 at the Carleton

Reeny Smith presents Reeny's Family Christmas
December 16 at the Carleton.

Reeny Smith presents Reeny’s Family Christmas on December 16 at The Carleton in Halifax.

The 2:00 p.m. matinee is sold out. At the time of this writing there are still tickets available for the evening show at 7:00 p.m.

The family-friendly show features Reeny’s musical traditions inspired by her talented family and friends growing up in North Preston. 

Reeny began singing and playing piano at the age of five. She received a Talent Trust scholarship to support her studies in voice, and won the Talent Trust Portia White Award in 2010.

Reeny Smith. A still from our 75th anniversary video.

She’s performed at the Halifax Jazz festival, at Nova Scotia’s iconic Stanfest in Canso, and was Casino Nova Scotia’s Artist in Residence in 2015. She appeared with Symphony Nova Scotia in a community concert series in 2017. 

In 2018 Reeny released her first single, Good Girl Swag, and her album W W I I I: Strength Courage Love. She recently won Music Nova Scotia’s African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year.

We’re grateful she was able to take time from her busy schedule to appear in our 75th anniversary video.

Reeny’s Family Christmas 
The Carleton
1685 Argyle Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Matinée - 2:00 p.m. - sold out
Evening - 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: thecarleton.ca 

Visit Reeny’s Family Christmas Facebook event page for more information. If you can't catch the show, here's Reeny in performance at CBC Halifax's Studio 60.

Clara's Gifts: A retelling of the Nutcracker story, illustrated by Emma van Zeumeren

Clara's Gifts: A retelling of the Nutcracker story. Co-written by Marianne Ward and Leica Hardy,
illustrated by Talent Trust visual arts scholarship recipient Emma Van Zeumeren.

Clara’s Gifts: A retelling of the Nutcracker story is a gorgeously illustrated picture book that tells the unique Nutcracker story adapted for the stage by Leica Hardy and Graham Whitehead.

The lush illustrations by Talent Trust scholarship recipient Emma van Zeumeren capture the magic, movement, and Art Nouveau-inspired design of the beloved stage production.

The book is co-authored by Marianne Ward and Leica Hardy, and tells the tale of Clara’s overnight journey from timid, fearful girl to confident young woman, thanks to the gifts of kindness, loyalty, friendship, and a very special nutcracker.

Emma van Zeumeren received her scholarship to support her visual arts studies at NSCAD University. She was a long-time dance student of Leica Hardy’s and is an alumna of The Nutcracker. After performing in the production for seven years, Emma has a special place in her heart for this beautiful adaptation.

The Nutcracker has been presented annually since 1991 by Symphony Nova Scotia in partnership with Halifax Dance and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia under the artistic leadership of choreographer Leica Hardy. 2018 marks her 28th year as the director/choreographer.

Leica has over 40 years of teaching experience, and has taught a number of Talent Trust dance scholarship recipients.

Clara’s Gifts is a 52-page hardcover keepsake book, priced at $25.00 CA ($26.25 CA tax included). 

For purchase information, visit the Clara’s Gifts page on the Leica Hardy School of Dance website.


To learn more about the book, visit the Clara’s Gifts Facebook page.

Illustration from Clara's Gifts: A retelling of the Nutcracker story.

George Elliott Clarke Reads Dalhousie University Bicentennial Epic Poem December 6

 George Elliott Clarke (right) and musician Tim Crofts (left). Photo: Dalhousie University.

George Elliott Clarke will read his epic poem written for Dalhousie University’s bicentennial on Thursday, December 6. He will be accompanied by pianist Tim Crofts.

A former Talent Trust scholarship recipient, Clarke was born near the Black Loyalist community of Windsor Plains, Nova Scotia, and grew up in Halifax. 

He holds an Honours B.A. in English from the University of Waterloo, an M.A. in English from Dalhousie University, and a Ph.D. in English from Queen's University. 

He is the inaugural E.J. Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature at the University of Toronto. 

In 1998, Clarke was the first recipient of the Nova Scotia Arts Council Portia White Prize. In 2001, he won the Governor General's Award for Poetry for his collection Execution Poems, published by the Gaspereau Press. 

George Elliott Clarke was Canada’s 2016-17 Parliamentary Poet Laureate.

To Tell Dalhousie’s Story: 
Speak a Poem Insurgent / Sound a Piano Insolent!

Thursday, December 6, 2018 
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Dalhousie Art Gallery
6101 University Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Admission is free; all are welcome.

The 65th Annual Student, Staff, Faculty, and Alumni Exhibition follows at 4:00 p.m., which includes Talent Trust scholarship recipient Alice MacLean.

For more information on the poetry reading, visit the event page on Dalhousie University's website.

Join Us at our 2018 Special Awards Ceremony at the Halifax Central Library, December 11

2017 Yue Lih and Marion Kuo Award winner India Yeshe Gailey (left) and Marion Kuo.

On Tuesday, December 11 we’ll recognize our 2018 scholarship and Special Award recipients with a ceremony at the Halifax Central Library.

The event begins at 1:30 p.m. (seating at 1:20 p.m.) in the Paul O'Regan Hall. 

Admission is free, open to the public, and we would be delighted if you could join us. 

The Awards Ceremony will be attended by The Honorable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and Honorary Chair of the Talent Trust.

This year’s Special Award winners were chosen from a field of 65 scholarship recipients representing the artistic disciplines of music, literary arts, visual arts, film, new media, design, dance, and theatre.

We’ll have live performances, video greetings from Award winners, and catering by Pavia Café.

The Halifax Public Library has partnered with us and offered their beautiful event hall as an in-kind service.

“At Halifax Public Libraries, people are at the heart of all we do, and supporting the growth of every individual in our community is why we exist. These artists will shape our community story with their creativity, voices, and words. We are proud to help celebrate this very special event, honouring their achievements and those to come”, says Jennifer Fall-Clarke, Event Service Coordinator for the Halifax Central Library.

Come on out to celebrate these fantastic up-and-coming artists. We look forward to seeing you there.

Talent Trust Special Awards Ceremony

Tuesday, December 11

1:30 p.m. — seating at 1:20 p.m.

Paul O'Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library

Admission is free

Everyone welcome!